Hello Products is a premium vegan oral care brand founded by Criag Dubitsky. They have a variety of oral hygiene products including kid-friendly toothpastes, mouth washes, toothbrushes etc.

On Jan 23, Colgate-Palmolive, a non Cruelty-free parent company, announced their plans to acquire Hello Products. As per the news articles, this deal will close no later than February 2020.

How does it benefit Colgate?

Recently, Colgate launched two new kinds of toothpaste registered with the Vegan(NOT Cruelty-free) Society’s international Vegan Trademark called ‘Smile for Good’ in UK and EU regions. They also announced that both the toothpaste tubes and the packaging are recyclable. According to Daily Mail, Colgate is shooting for 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2025 across its product lines.

This could be due to the increase in demand for Vegan products across all of EU. This article quotes:

The new toothpaste also comes as calls to end cosmetic animal testing are at an all-time high. Celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Sir Paul McCartney support Cruelty-Free International‘s efforts to end animal testing. A number of major cosmetic brands have recently made the shift, too. Procter & Gamble ended cosmetic testing on 19 of its brands last year. CoverGirl and Estée Lauder have also ended cosmetics testing.

Based on the above facts, the acquisition looks like a positive change in the right direction. If Colgate is actually trying to move towards ending animal testing, this will be a HUGE win for the Cruelty-free Community!

But, here’s the twist!

Cruelty-free Brands Owned by Colgate

Colgate-Palmolive currently owns around 30+ brands of which only 1 is actually Cruelty-free – TOM’S OF MAINE

So, maybe they are trying to start with the Toothpastes first!? Whatever the reason is, I just hope it will actually make a positive impact in ending animal testing all together.

Is Hello Products still Cruelty-free?

YES

I reached out to Hello Products and they immediately responded saying they will stay Cruelty-free.

Update from Hello Products:

Hello Swetha,

Thanks for reaching out! we love our furry friends here at hello. we’re Leaping Bunny certified, and we are fully committed to remaining a cruelty-free brand.

we’re excited to become part of the Colgate family, as it will enable us to introduce hello to more people all over the world. hello will continue to operate as an independent entity, with our friendly leadership, team, office dogs, and vibe remaining as-is.

As of now, there is no indication that they will not be Cruelty-free. And I don’t hear of any plans to enter into the Chinese market. Hello Products will most likely operate as an individual entity like Tom’s of Maine. But, I will stay in touch and will be updated as we hear more information.

Should I continue to buy Hello Products?

This is a tough question to answer due to the divergent viewpoints. Each view has it’s own pros and cons. Let’s try to make it as simple as possible.

1. Profits go to the Parent Company: When you buy products from a brand that is owned by a non Cruelty-free parent company, part of the profits/proceeds will go to the parent company. This means you might be indirectly funding further animal testing.
2. Choosing to buy Cruelty-free brand sends a message: When you choose a Cruelty-free brand over an animal tested brand owned by the same corporation, you are also sending a message to the big corporations. Infact, you are voting with your dollars which will in turn force the brands to adopt to non-animal testing methods.

Conclusion: There is no right or wrong answer here. Best option would be to choose brands that are truly 100% Cruelty-free ie, CF brands not owned by a parent company that tests on animals. But, if you choose to shop CF brand products over an animal tested brand, that’s still a win. I leave this choice for you to decide.

What are your thoughts on this acquisition? Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or any questions you have.

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